Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cerro de Pasco and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $547 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cerro de Pasco, Peru
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Cerro de Pasco
🇵🇪 Peru
$547
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cerro de Pasco and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cerro de Pasco and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $547 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Cerro de Pasco $547
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $883 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Cerro de Pasco $883
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,218 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Cerro de Pasco $1,218
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Cerro de Pasco is about 41% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cerro de Pasco and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Cerro de Pasco 60% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cerro de Pasco
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.84 PEN 9.80
$2.24 ฿75.7
26.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.57 PEN 102
$19.00 ฿642
55.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.04 PEN 24.27
$5.55 ฿188
26.85%
Cappuccino
$1.99 PEN 6.86
$1.67 ฿56.6
19.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 PEN 2.44
$0.64 ฿21.56
10.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.45 PEN 1.57
$0.31 ฿10.32
45.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.68 PEN 9.23
$2.36 ฿79.6
13.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 PEN 15.09
$3.66 ฿124
19.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cerro de Pasco
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 PEN 5.08
$1.95 ฿65.8
-24.62%
White Bread (500g)
$2.34 PEN 8.07
$1.44 ฿48.51
62.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.26 PEN 4.34
$1.33 ฿45.07
-5.26%
Eggs
$2.38 PEN 8.20
$2.28 ฿77.1
4.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.22 PEN 31.77
$16.45 ฿556
-43.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.81 PEN 20.01
$2.78 ฿94.0
108.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.02 PEN 27.63
$9.31 ฿314
-13.86%
Apples (1kg)
$1.96 PEN 6.76
$2.35 ฿79.5
-16.60%
Banana (1kg)
$0.75 PEN 2.59
$0.97 ฿32.82
-22.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.45 PEN 1.57
$1.60 ฿53.9
-71.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.15 PEN 3.95
$1.50 ฿50.7
-23.33%
Potato (1kg)
$0.76 PEN 2.61
$1.28 ฿43.15
-40.63%
Onion (1kg)
$0.51 PEN 1.74
$1.10 ฿37.22
-53.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.90 PEN 3.11
$0.71 ฿23.84
26.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 PEN 3.04
$0.49 ฿16.38
79.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.83 PEN 20.10
$4.14 ฿140
40.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.07 PEN 24.36
$17.52 ฿592
-59.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92 PEN 6.62
$1.61 ฿54.5
19.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.60 PEN 8.95
$2.78 ฿94.0
-6.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Cerro de Pasco
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.87 ฿29.33
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$54.1 ฿1,827
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.42 PEN 11.80
$1.16 ฿39.08
194.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.99 PEN 6.84
$0.53 ฿17.82
275.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.65 PEN 26.36
$2.42 ฿81.8
216.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.71 PEN 5.91
$1.45 ฿48.93
17.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K PEN 74.5K
$21.1K ฿711.2K
2.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.4K PEN 98.0K
$26.9K ฿909.8K
5.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cerro de Pasco
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$68.2 PEN 235
$62.2 ฿2,100
9.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.73 PEN 54.2
$12.17 ฿411
29.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.89 PEN 92.7
$20.12 ฿680
33.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cerro de Pasco
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$37.31 ฿1,260
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.77 ฿127
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.33 PEN 25.28
$6.49 ฿219
12.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cerro de Pasco
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$306 PEN 1,056
$736 ฿24.9K
-58.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.0K PEN 44.8K
$14.8K ฿498.6K
-12.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cerro de Pasco
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.3 PEN 180
$53.4 ฿1,802
-2.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.37 PEN 122
$24.64 ฿832
43.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.4 PEN 291
$91.5 ฿3,089
-7.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.8 PEN 268
$71.9 ฿2,429
8.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cerro de Pasco
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$482 ฿16.3K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$309 ฿10.4K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$405 PEN 1,396
$1,006 ฿34.0K
-59.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$633 ฿21.4K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,363 ฿79.8K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,589 ฿53.7K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cerro de Pasco
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$463 PEN 1,597
$590 ฿19.9K
-21.45%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.78
5.57
57.63%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Cerro de Pasco
$202
Chiang Mai
$234 16.2% $33
Clothing & Footwear
Cerro de Pasco
$112
Chiang Mai
$109 3.4% $3.8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cerro de Pasco
$111
Chiang Mai
$94 14.7% $16
Eating Out
Cerro de Pasco
$95
Chiang Mai
$78 17.9% $17
Sport & Entertainment
Cerro de Pasco
$15 *
Chiang Mai
$50 243% $36
Getting Around
Cerro de Pasco
$13 *
Chiang Mai
$61 360% $48
Accommodation & Living
Cerro de Pasco
- *
Chiang Mai
$309

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 27% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Cerro de Pasco versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $202 in Cerro de Pasco vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Cerro de Pasco wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
13:06 1:06 PM
01:06 1:06 AM
12 h ahead of Cerro de Pasco
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
58,899
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.261 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cerro de Pasco Chiang Mai 18,980 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cerro de Pasco
  • Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Cerro de Pasco vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cerro de Pasco cheaper than Chiang Mai?
Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $821 per month in Cerro de Pasco and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Cerro de Pasco or in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Cerro de Pasco and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Cerro de Pasco and in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 16% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is it better to live in Cerro de Pasco or in Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $547 in Cerro de Pasco to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cerro de Pasco. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Cerro de Pasco vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?